Ceramic Materials

Ceramics are inorganic non-metallic materials that

are a combination of one or more metals and some
non-metals like oxygen, carbon, or nitrogen

Properties of ceramic materials

Mechanical Properties
a. Hardness to resistance to wear
b. Tensile strength
c. Compressive strength
d. Fracture strength
e. Impact strength
f. Modulus of elasticity
Electrical Properties
a.Electric insulation
b.Electrical Conductivity
c. Dielectric constant
d.Piezoelectric property
e.Magnetic ceramics
Chemical Properties
Chemical Resistance
Thermal Properties
Optical Properties
Nuclear Properties
Classification of ceramic materials
Examples Ceramic Materials
1 All types of glass products including
fibres
2. Cements, Lime, Plasters
3. Mantemperature use
4. Refractories for high temperature use
5. Many types of electrical insulations
 In the rock salt structure each ion is surrounded by
six immediate neighbours of the opposite charge (e.g.,
the central Mg2+ cation, which is surrounded by
O2− anions).
This extremely efficient packing allows for local
neutralization of charge and makes for stable
The second structure (Figure 2) is called fluorite,
after the mineral calcium fluoride (CaF2), which
possesses this structure—though the material shown
is urania (uranium dioxide, UO2).
In this structure the oxygen anions are bonded to
only four cations. Oxides with this structure are well
known for the ease with which oxygen vacancies can
be formed
The third structure is called  Perovskite. In most
cases the perovskite structure is cubic—that is, all
sides of the unit cell are the same. However, in 
barium titanate (BaTiO3), shown in the figure.

The central Ti4+ cation can be induced to move

off-centre, leading to a noncubic symmetry and to
an  electrostatic dipole, or alignment of positive
and negative charges toward opposite ends of the
structure. This dipole is responsible for the
ferroelectric properties of barium titanate
These cases are illustrated by 
yttrium barium copper oxide (YBCO; 
chemical formula YBa2Cu3O7), shown in 
figure . YBCO is a superconducting ceramic;
that is, it loses all resistance to electric current
 at extremely low temperatures.
 Its structure consists of three cubes, with
yttrium or barium at the centre, copper at the
corners, and oxygen at the middle of each
edge—with the exception of the middle cube,
which has oxygen vacancies at the outer
edges. 
Types & Applications of Ceramics
Clay Products
Refractories
Silica Refractories
Basic Refractories
Special Refractories
Abrasives
Cements
Partially Stabilized Zirconia
Zirconia is best known among Ceramics as
being both hard and fracture-tough at room
temperature. Additionally, its fine (sub-micron) grain
size enables excellent surface finishes and the ability
to hold a sharp edge.
zirconia does exhibit structural changes that may
limit its use to perhaps only 500 °C. It also becomes
electrically conductive as this temperature is
approached

 
Applications
Metal forming, and oil and gas industries.
Weld location pins
Sialons
Prepared by a mixture of raw materials including silicon
nitride, alumina, aluminium nitride, silica and the oxide of
a rare-earth element such as yttrium.
Applications
Non-ferrous molten metal handling
metal feed tubes for aluminum die casting, burner and
immersion heater tubes, injector and degassing for
nonferrous metals, thermocouple protection tubes,
crucibles 
Silicon nitride
The material will be prepared by heating powdered silicon
between 1300 °C and 1400 °C in a nitrogen environment

Carbothermal reduction of silicon dioxide in nitrogen atmosphere

at 1400–1450 °C
Applications
Automobile industry
Bearings
High-temperature material
Silicon carbide 
The simplest process to manufacture silicon carbide is to
combine silica sand and carbon in an Acheson graphite electric
resistance furnace at a high temperature, between 1,600 °C and
2,500 °C . Fine SiO2 particles in plant material (e.g. rice husks) can
be converted to SiC by heating in the excess carbon from the
organic material,
Applications
Abrasive and cutting tools
Automobile parts
Foundry crucibles
Electronic circuit elements